Living With Toxic Wounds: The Voices and Visual Self-Representations of Gulf War Veterans

Operations Desert Shield and Storm occurred over 30 years ago, yet many of those who were deployed continue to experience chronic and debilitating symptoms, now recognized as Gulf War Illness (GWI). While efforts have been made to explore clinical treatments for GWI, misperceptions and skepticism about its complex nature and a lack of consensus on its etiology impede progress in this area. A critical necessity remains to better understand the experiences, needs, and concerns of veterans with GWI. In this qualitative research study, 40 Gulf War veterans were interviewed about their perceptions regarding symptoms of physical health, cognitive functioning, quality of life, and the quality of care received. In addition, they depicted their experiences through an artistic elicitation collage. Through a grounded theory method, key findings indicated that there are remaining hurdles, such as challenging symptoms, persisting unknowns about the illness, and variations in treatment quality. Veterans have mostly managed and coped with GWI, but they voice the need for acknowledgment and support. The main implication from this study is the significance of both clinical and institutional validation and recognition of the GWI experience as well as the need for specific support systems.

Art and movement as catalysts for insight into the human condition of depression

OBJECTIVE

Despite arts advancement and advocacy in education, research, and clinical practice, the arts, including music, dance, theater, and visual art, continue to be largely viewed as stimulating and not necessarily scientifically sound disciplines. This article describes the intentional and methodical use of artistic inquiry to expand the grasp of the mental health condition of depression and suggest ways to engage with it.

METHODS

Different art forms, dance/movement, collage, sculpting, photography, and watercolor were utilized in separate artistic inquiries to explore and better understand the phenomenon of depression, specifically the elements emptiness, hopelessness, and uncertainty.

RESULTS

The engagement with art revealed that darkness promotes the germination of something new and valuable. Another discovery was that change is constant in life and can be a comforting fact considering that depression may feel interminable. Last, connection was found to be crucial. When two colors were blended, they yielded another hue and thus a novel outlook on life.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Artistic inquiry is not only an intuitive and freely accessible tool, but it also offers a unique understanding of the human condition that is rich in meaning and personally relevant. By methodically engaging with art during uncertainties or when facing a clinical or personal challenge, practitioners can increase their insight and develop exceptional and creative solutions that may contribute to psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Collage-based graphic elicitation method for capturing the lived experiences of veterans with Gulf War illness

AIMS

Graphic elicitation is an emergent data gathering approach in qualitative research. An overview of the development and application of a collage based graphic elicitation method in gaining greater understanding about the experience of Gulf War Illness (GWI) is presented in this paper. The unique contributions of this method are also discussed.

MAIN METHODS

Fourteen veterans with GWI were interviewed and then invited to represent their experiences in a visual format through a collage graphic elicitation task. Interviews and collage artworks were coded and compared to both verbal and art responses during the graphic elicitation process.

KEY FINDINGS

Comparison of the content in the interview responses and collage artwork indicates that the graphic elicitation process resulted in three distinct responses: (1) Synthesis and confirmation of content articulated in the interviews, (2) focus on salient aspects of living with GWI, and (3) revealing previously unarticulated experiences.

SIGNIFICANCE

This work demonstrates the unique contributions of collage graphic elicitation, including allowing for spontaneity, metaphorical thinking, enriching verbal explication, and uncovering lived experiences and new affective responses. The sample size was too small to make any generalizations, and more research is needed to further validate these initial findings.

Grappling with Gulf War Illness: Perspectives of Gulf War Providers

Background: Although the Gulf War occurred almost 30 years ago, the chronic symptoms of Gulf War illness (GWI), which include respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin problems, as well as fatigue, pain, and mood alterations, currently affect over 200,000 veterans. Meanwhile, healthcare providers lack clear guidelines about how to best treat this illness. The objective in this study was to learn about the perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers of GWI veterans in terms of medical symptoms, resources for treatment, and quality of care. Methods: We interviewed 10 healthcare providers across the United States and subsequently conducted a qualitative grounded theory study which entailed both systematic data analysis and generating a grounded theory framework. Results: Our findings indicated multiple challenges for providers of veterans with GWI, including gaps in knowledge about GWI, lack of treatment options, absence of consistent communication within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system, and personalized care that was limited to validation. Conclusion: While this study had several limitations, it supported the notion that healthcare providers have inadequate knowledge and awareness about GWI, which leads to continued uncertainty about how to best care for GWI veterans. This could be remedied by the creation of a comprehensive curriculum for a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to serve as an educational tool for those attending to this largely overlooked veteran population.

Outcomes of Therapeutic Artmaking in Patients Undergoing Radiation Oncology Treatment: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study

A cancer diagnosis can be extremely stressful and life-altering for patients. Chronically high levels of stress can increase inflammation and affect the progression of the cancer. Psychosocial interventions could reduce stress and address cancer patients’ emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. This mixed-methods pilot study compared 2 single-session arts-based approaches for patients in active radiation treatment in a large urban hospital. Participants were assigned to either the active control of independent coloring or the therapeutic intervention of open studio art therapy. Participants completed pre-session and post-session saliva samples and standardized psychosocial measures of stress, affect, anxiety, self-efficacy, and creative agency. Both conditions significantly increased participants’ positive affect, self-efficacy, and creative agency, and decreased negative affect, perceived stress, and anxiety. No changes of note were seen in the salivary measures. Participants’ narrative responses corroborated the quantitative findings and highlighted additional benefits such as supporting meaning-making and spiritual insights. Both arts-based interventions can support the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of cancer patients while each has features that may be more suited to the needs of certain patients. Further replication of these findings could support our initial findings that suggest that patients could benefit from having art studio spaces with art therapists and choices of art materials available on the oncology unit.